RESURRECTION FROM THE DEATH
24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has ETERNAL LIFE, and doesn’t come into judgment, but HAS PASSED OUT OF (SPIRITUAL) DEATH into LIFE. 25 Most certainly I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the (SPIRITUALLY) DEAD will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will LIVE. (John 5:24,25)
“He who hears” points to the naturally living person here on earth and not the one in the “natural” grave but the one in the “SPIRITUAL” tomb; that's why the additions are included, the words which ones are inside brackets. However (I believe) you can include the ones who were in Abraham's bosom (in Paradise) as well after Jesus went there (Luke 23:43, Peter 3:19 ) to preach the word of LIFE to them after His crucifixion; even you can say that “ALL of them did hear (understand/receive) His message.” Those on the wrong side of the breach did not receive Christ’s message.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead (and receive the free gift), and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:14) We can apply this to the ten sleeping virgins (Matt.25:5) who all slept and experienced awakening just before the coming of the Lord. Last lukewarm church was poor (without LIFE and wisdom), blind (without understanding), and naked (without wedding clothes, LIFE of/in Christ). (Rev. 3:17) However some of them did hear the knocking on the door. (Rev. 3:20)
(“Lukewarm” means not hot and burning to preach the gospel and save people; and not gold and freezing in distress longing to be filled with the LIFE of Christ in Him.)
15 He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (firstborn among new creatures, His brothers). 16 For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. 18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD (FIRST WHO EXPERIENCED RESURRECTION FROM THE DEATH BY TAKING BACK HIS LIFE; John 10:18 “I have power to take it back”), that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. 19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross. (Col.1:15...20)
17 Just as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery (to deliver NEW LIFE), is in pain and cries out in her pangs, so we have been before you, Yahweh. 19 Your dead shall LIVE. Their dead bodies shall ARISE. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits (WITH LIFE OF CHRIST IN HIM). (Is. 26:17,19)
The disciples of Jesus did stay behind of the shut doors before the faith of resurrection of Christ (and our resurrection inside Him as well). If believer is short of faith that resurrected Jesus has raised up in him (“I don’t live any more but Christ in me”) he is in sleeping mode thinking that resurrection is already past (2Tim. 2:14).
We did indeed receive the Spirit and dosage (portion) of His LIFE (First fruits) through born-again experience; but who is so strong that he can stay awake without falling (back) to sleep (going into desert): especially if the daily food is low of value. I understand that Apostle John was one example and exception out of the rule: “If I desire that he stay (and does not spiritually die) until I come (to fetch him into heaven), what is that to you? You follow me.”(John 21:22) 18 I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, (!Tim.1:19)
Noah’s ark (ship) was a symbol of faith and Paul’s Voyage to Malta and Rome an example of spiritual sail of believer into promised destination.
“Three times I (Paul) was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep”: “24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord (HE WILL RESURRECT ME FROM THE DEATH)! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law” (when sin did take over and I am under condemnation “freezing from cold”.) Rom. 7:24,25) Seven times a righteous man falls and rises up again to live trough Him “and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Note that Christian in “death mode” is not without the Holy Spirit but his condition is like the one has in the Holy Place with constant need to make sin offerings, being apologetic of his sins without LIFE of Christ. In Christ's death the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom and access to the Holy of Holies was granted so that we can live through His LIFE in Him.
To live in resurrected Christ means that on our altar of faith burns constant fire consuming the sinful Christ on the cross.
In the quantum world when light travels millions of miles from distant star we can count how many Years it takes for photons to reach us. But from light’s perspective the time is nought because on speed of light time is at a standstill. Photons are at the same time at the beginning and at the end because no time has past. (phenomenons of entanglement!) God is “LIGHT” (John1:5...9, 8:12) so all happenings are constantly at the front of Him and spiritually at the front of us as well because we are the body of Christ and we are entangled with Him.
Believers to be in the fire means too that we have a constant desire to save drowning people on the road into hell. That desire is because we live in Him and He had so big pity and distress that He chose the cross even to save a few (or better: as many as possible). But to be in the desert means that this desire is reduced: Who likes to save people into the same misery and dryness than he exists himself.
49 “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. 52 For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. (Luke 12:49...52)
To recognize one’s cold and fireless existence is much better than to be lukewarm, for “he who humbles himself will be exalted” and “knock and it will be opened to you.”
26 David built an altar (of faith) to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace (or fellowship/ joint) offerings ( old self on the top of burnt offering), and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering (faith of crucified Christ). (Chronicles 21:26) 26 “When the sky is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and CONFESS YOUR NAME, and turn from their sin when you afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and send rain on your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance. (Salomon’s prayer / 2 Chron.6:26)
However there exists devil’s distorted form of fire as well: 1 Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them. 2 Fire came out from before Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. (Lev.10:1)
14 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.† 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna‡ as yourselves. (Mat. 23:14,15)
Another example of strange fire (and smell in one’s censer) happen on the riot at Ephesus: 34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all (the whole city) with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:34)
Nowadays big majority of demonstrations happen around topics of Jews and ownership of the land of Palestine/ Israel. 13 He (dragon) performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own§ people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast (“religious” organisation). (Rev.13:13,14) Dragon’s fire is impetuous will, hot desire and hate, to to do the will of the devil.2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. 3 They will do these things† because they have not known the Father nor me. (John 16:2) In the Middle Ages it was understood to be God’s will to burn “heretics” and now terrorists are perceived (by many) to be freedom fighters or martyrs of just course.
5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection. (Rom.6:5) It is: if we (all humankind) were one with sinful Christ on the cross we (who believe) are also one with holy, sinless and resurrected Christ in heaven.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep. 21 For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:20...22)
These verses tell us that the question here is about our personal resurrection from the sleep into conscious realisation that Christ did rise in me including the first fruits (Peace, love and joy with measure) in the new Me. God is subject to him (believer) who put all things under Him (= Father did always hear Christ and He has now risen in me) so if we are now “baptised for the dead” (sleeping believer); it is: we mourn and pray devotedly for the sleeping brother, God will hear us and rise him up from the death.(1 Cor. 15:28,29)
22/2/26 Erno Miettinen
Unless stated otherwise the verses in this bible are referenced from a public domain bible.